Pixel Binning
Hey Photo World! First, I would like to start off with the fact that I am no expert on the Pixel Binning subject bur more so I am an interested learner on all things photography. My latest endeavor has been studying up and testing out the sRAW option on my Nikon D810 and D750. For more information on my findings so far with sRAW you can listen to episode 226 here!
In my search on sRAW, there were many references to pixel binning and how it should be a much more effective down scaling of resolution to ¼ the size of a traditional full resolution RAW file. At face value, it sounded like a great solution to the speculated sRAW flaws. However, after investigating the difference between compressions with RAW files, sRAW images, and even the compression operations of JPEG images, there seemed to be little evidence that pixel binning offers substantial improvements. Then, I gathered much of my information by reading through multiple blogs and other writings on the subject and here is a list of the sites I read from.
Sites:
http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/489187-understanding-binning/.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3922435.
http://www.photometrics.com/resources/learningzone/binning.php.
http://www.andor.com/learning-academy/ccd-binning-what-does-binning-mean.
http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/digitalimaging/concepts/binning.html.
Although, the multitude of information on the subject it seems to be a very technical operation. After ingesting the information I have given thought to the entirety of the subject and feel there are little to no benefits to want to see pixel binning in a DSLR camera CMOS sensor. However, an improvement on the sRAW format or an allowance of an mRAW (medium RAW) equaling half resolution vs the quarter resolution of a sRAW image would be a more appropriate settlement on the RAW size options.
Finally, I would be pleased to see Nikon and Canon offer a sRAW and mRAW with a bit depth choice as well. That would benefit many photographers out there.
Happy Shooting!
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sRAW
I have been testing out the sRAW option in my Nikon D810 and wanted to know more about it. So like most people I turned to Google and got articles and blogs all about sRAW or small RAW. Furthermore, some bad press kept showing up on the subject. All these photographers out there complaining and ripping the idea of sRAW apart. They go on about how bad it is and how much you lose by skimping out and using sRAW to save a near useless amount of space. Well, it’s my turn to go off the deep end and rant about the sRAW options out there. Again, I did some testing on my Nikon D810 and I will do the same on my Nikon D750 to see how it compares.
Ultimately, and like a photographers work, the proof is in the pudding. What do you do with your images? What do you need your images to do for your specific customers and industry? Will you need all the resolution at a later date so why not do it all right now with the max RAW options? You will have to be the judge of all that. Like I say all the time: “know your gear”, and that also goes for know what your gear is being used for. I will admit, this is a fast paced and somewhat confusing subject with a lot of numbers and lingo being used throughout the episode. Bear with me and many even listen a couple times if you want to get all the details. The main 3 things to know are these:
14 bit uncompressed RAW – 73MB
12 bit compressed RAW – 30.5MB
sRAW – 11 bit compressed – 27MB
Finally, when talking about RAW compression options I love how Nikon states it in the user manual for the Nikon D810: “Uncompressed, images are not compressed; Lossless Compressed, no effect on image quality; Compressed, with almost no effect on image quality.” Makes compression look like a joke. Take it or leave it… everything will be fine.
Happy Shooting!
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Nice To Employees
This is for all you photographers who have 1 or more employees. Heck you can apply this method to those of whom are flying solo. Also, I would like to clear up the word “employees” for you. Many would think it means you have individuals on payroll with an hourly or salary wage or someone who comes to work for the company at regular intervals. Well “employee” can mean a lot of things and I look at it as anyone who does work for someone else regardless of the interval, pay rate, or consistency. You could say they are temporary or sub-contractors as well. No matter how you define them you should be nice to your employees.
| Nice/Positive | Mean/Negative |
| Competitive pay | Restrictive pay |
| Constructive guidance | Pushy guidance |
| Offering more work opportunities | Restricting the hours |
| Perks | No perks |
| Somewhere to go/climb the ladder | Lateral movement |
Nice seems like an obvious choice and an easy way to go but nice isn’t always the easiest to define. What you think could be nice may easily be blah or in some cases “not nice” to others. There is an attitude in how you treat them and that directly relates to an attitude in how they treat you/your business. Photo World you already know what I am talking about because just about each of you can go back to a time when you had a job and your attitude was reflected by how you felt you were treated. If you instill positivity to your employees, no matter their capacity, than you will see positivity from them. The opposite is true when there is negativity involved. Be positive! Be nice to your employees! Why do you think I always finish every episode with:
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Chase The Light
Photo World I was thinking about one of the turning points in my career as a photographer. Really it was before my career kicked off. This was happening while I was learning and working for other photographers. I used to spend hours and hours poring over photos, surfing the net, flipping through magazines, and even perusing a newspaper here and there. (Yes I used to read actual newspapers). I would look at how all those other photographs were taken and more specifically what kind of light was used to make the picture. I wanted to know what light source was used, guess the modifiers that were helping shape the light, figure out what the exposure must have been. I will say that it didn’t come easy but I do have a skill now for determining what lens is used for many of the photographs my students make just by investigating their images. I still find myself asking what kind of light is in play or what kind of modifiers were used here? I am continually seeking the answers… not to learn them and then emulate that practice but to see if my eye is good enough. I find myself critiquing many photographs with thoughts on how it could have been better with the right light. I’m no more gifted than any
Leadership
Photo World today's episode is more about personality development than running a business. Although, one does need the right personality to run a business. Specifically with small businesses you may be the boss but you must also show leadership. You must have a leader’s mindset.
In a quick google search I found a Leader is – The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country. Or business (business was added by me).
There is a ton of information on leadership and how to go about gaining good leadership skills or how to operate in the work place but what about when you own your own business?
According to mindtools.com A leader can:
- Create a vision
- Motivate & Inspire
- Deliver the vision
- Coach and Develop
Owning your business, means your name is on it. So…
Don’t blame others for failure or setbacks. – busted wireless story
What kind of leader do you want to be? – panic while serving or casually under control
The kind that only chases the pay check or the one who is there for their passion and in turn their clients? – informative selling vs. pressure selling
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I Love Yes
I would have rather had the long title of "The day I met and photographed actor Colin Farrell" but that felt a bit long for a title. After all I'm not Panic At The Disco where I could get away with such lengthy titles. Even though I decided to write and record about how much I love yes the real story is the how behind my meeting a famous Hollywood actor and one of my favorite actors for that matter. Now I could go on and plot out the story of Yes Man for you Photo World and tell you why Yes can be so powerful, but I would be ruining a great movie for you (great may be a bit much but I did enjoy that one) and you wouldn't believe that is really how it works. To be honest I only Love Yes when it works out for me. You may recall I had once said I Love No. Both Yes and No can be powerful and helpful to a career it is just a matter of when and how. It usually leads to one thing in the end anyway... Any guesses where I am going with this?
Education! That's right Photo World I passionately believe in education and I don't think I will ever think otherwise. As in the words of the great John Michael Montgomery "Life's a dance you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. Don't worry about what you don't know. Life's a dance you learn as you go."
Happy Shooting!
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Even Sell
Ahh... Finally... The long awaited Even Sell. Back from when this all started I spoke of over selling then I moved to under selling and to be honest that is where most discussions stop. Is it taboo to speak of even selling or as I like to call it in this episode "niche selling"? I guess most people side step that portion of the discussion because when successful selling takes place it isn't worth talking about. The only incredibly major problem I have with that is WHY NOT? Why do so many blogs and podcasts avoid subject matter that revolves around the correct way of doing something. Niche selling is the most fun and has the least pressure involved but no one really talks about it. There is this horrible misconception that selling is a game or a trick and out have to accidentally get your clients to go along with it. Real even selling or niche selling doesn't work like that. It is all based on getting the right customer in front of you so by the time you are selling they are already 90% committed to the idea. Let your marketing "sell" for you, let your portfolio "sell" for you, have the social media "sell" for you, are we getting the idea here Photo World? Create a selling funnel that leads to you making the sale. This way most of the time when you attempt to sell to someone it is to a "someone" who is already susceptible to your specific sale.
Happy Shooting!
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Distraction Kills
Distraction will kill your business. Wake up every day with three goals and attack them.
Some examples of how big or small the goals can be:
- Take care of all the emails I have before 12 noon.
- Return all the calls I have between 1pm-3pm.
- Work on X number of photos for X amount of time.
- Social media posts once a day for the next seven days.
There is something about music in the background that just works. I have tried putting on Netflix with a show I know well and then minimizing the window so I can just get to work and before I know it I find myself wanting to just sit and watch. I love the internet and Google especially, but for some reason I have so many questions that must have an answer and before I know it, the only question I had was: “Where are the latest funny cat videos?”
Even our work can be a distraction! What if there was a way to consolidate the work we did in a more careful structure so we don’t have wasted time in between each task needing to be done. This goes back to having a system in place. A 30 minute timer so you can be FOCUSed in on one task and then move swiftly to the next. There are few who can maintain the endurance of just working countless hours on the same task over and over. However, society and our upbringing tell us this is exactly what we need to do to make it in our “careers”. I have a whole other episode to talk about that subject but for now just know that we can keep FOCUS and we can sidestep distraction so our business can be the living breathing machine it has to be. Get those systems in place and your mind in place. I for one enjoy focus or study music to keep my mind in the right place while I work.
Happy Shooting!
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All Wrong
When everything goes wrong you have to keep strong. It’s not an easy task learning how to be professional. Time, practice, failure, education, trial, and error is what makes a professional a professional. For some it is an accelerated process and for others it is a life long journey. I know I still have trouble being professional all the time. Now I need to clear up a couple things first…
- I’m not talking about “A professional” in the industry of photography
- I’m not talking about someone who is an authority in their craft
- I’m not talking about how your income is 51% or more obtained by your business
- I’m not talking about the way you dress
- I’m not talking about the car you drive
I am talking about your attitude. What happens when you have a decision to make, such as, blow up over a mishap or keep your cool and work the problem? Sticking to your guns when it come to your pricing or caving to book the job. I guess this has been on my mind because of one day where everything went wrong… However, I had to make some decisions about how to handle all of it. This is one of those, “I can’t believe this story is real”, kind of tales. So join me on one of the worst days in my career.
The worst of it was when my head started rushing through all the old memories of those big incidents Where I had to decide quickly, act appropriately, and make things work even though they weren’t supposed to. Lessor professional would let the problem win and walk away because the going got tough. Trust me I want to that too, but there is something inside saying: “you can get through this.”
A small declaimer for today’s episode:
The day I had recorded this episode was the same day where my first story I tell had happened. I also had a breakdown and put off recording until it was very late at night (1am). I sound like the emotions were fresh because they were. I sound tired in my voice because I was. I got through the episode because I am a professional and Photo World, you deserve the best I can offer… even when I am not at my best. Thank you for keeping me going.
Happy Shooting!
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Ah-Ha Moment
“If you treat this business as a business you will get paid as a business. If you treat it as a hobby you will be paid as a hobby.”
I pulled this quote from a book I have been reading called Gameplan. It is a great quote and it refers to the idea that you get out of things what you put into them. I have interviewed many photographers who have suggested testing the waters and doing photography on the side without jumping in head first with the hopes that you can build a sustainable business. However, many new photographers or small businesses in general have a tough time making that transition from side-preneur to entrepreneur or part time to full time. It didn’t really hit home for me until recently when a bride told me something that changed my perspective. Not only my perspective of the day but my perspective of the wedding photography industry as a whole, and the way I will approach it moving forward. It was eye opening and gave me sight into the difference in effort from one photographer to the next and how that effort is reflected in the market they will work within. Listen to the episode to find out what she told me and how this ah-ha moment has given new life to my own wedding photography business. More importantly how it can breathe new life into your business regardless of your current focus or level.
Happy Shooting!
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Make Lemonade
When life gives you lemons make Lemonade… I say: When life gives you nothing make Lemonade.
We have three currencies and each one effects the others.
- Time
- Knowledge
- Money
Just a few examples on how I had to make more from an otherwise inopportune situation. More often than not I find knowledge is one of the easiest of the currencies to acquire but more often one of the easiest to miss. These examples, as explained in the episode, are proof of that very phenomenon.
- Wedding with bad weather and an unflattering location.
- Photo Studio with nowhere to grow.
- Photo classes that seemingly had little to no value for me. However, I was able to find the opportunity within. I couldn’t learn anything new with photography itself but I could learn plenty about how I would instruct if I were in that role.
Photo World do you a story or example of a time when you felt there was very little or even nothing available for you in a given situation but made it work anyway? Share it with us on Twitter with #HeyPhotoWorld or write it on the Facebook Page.
Happy Shooting!
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Fail Quitting
True failure exists only when we stop trying. An entrepreneur never gives up. Therefore, their “failures” are only learning moments and steps toward growth. (Fail vs Quit is very different) Did you want to be a fireman or police officer while growing up? Maybe a doctor or a lawyer… Did you not become that because you failed or because you stopped trying?
So a simple google search had yield me several results and a somewhat poor consistency of information. I searched for what percentage of small businesses fail and then I searched what percentage of businesses succeed. I figured if I could look up some information from both attitude perspectives (negative as well as positive) I would be left with a set of numbers that explained this idea from two sides. I had no idea what I would really find. From, let’s say, more trusted names I pulled information and gathered it into two groups and I am left here laughing at the results. I don’t trust much of what I read online even if the source seems credible I am a little weary.
The reality is the information out there is all based on the worst restrictions and qualifications. Unemployment is only based on the last 3 months. If someone is unemployed for more than 3 months it is viewed as a deliberate choice and no longer qualifies for the “hard numbers”. It is the same story here. These sources are all speaking about different time frames as well as different scales of businesses.
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Undersell
Photo World I have been on the "How To Sell" kick for a while now and I wanted to break down yet another approach. How, Why, and When to Undersell. I know, you hear undersell and think: "Why would I do that successfully?" or "How would that be a good strategy?" First off listen to the episode, I clear up a lot in a short amount of time. Secondly, open up to the idea that there is always a possible success in every approach. That being said I will say building a business with an undersell strategy is a slow rise to a stable business model. I will also add this can be one of the best ways to learning business and building a strong foundation to build from.
On a base level, Undersell is when you sell something at a lower cost than your competitors. I dive into the idea of competitors as well. I don't like the idea that we are all to be competing against one another. I don't see the value of being hung up on what others are doing when we should just be doing what is best for our businesses.
Happy Shooting!
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Interesting vs Interested
Photo World, as we build our small businesses into a successful careers we come to many cross roads. Sometimes we get caught up learning and lose our focus when we should have been earning. Other times our social media falls by the way side and we seem to forget there is an audience there. It could just be difficult to maintain a positive habit like keeping up on a blog or it could be tough to stop a bad habit like staying up too late. In today’s episode I want to highlight another strategy for our selling techniques and hopefully offer you the chance to grow based on being honest with your business, as well as, yourself. There is a 100% chance you are not doing one of the following 6 things for your business and you need each of the 6 to achieve the goals of today’s topic.
- movementmasterminds.com
- Not updating your portfolio – You must update your portfolio. Every time you have an image that is worthy of your portfolio you need to set that aside for when you do make the changes to your website. At least then you do not need to search for the photographs you wish to showcase.
- Not aiming to increase your skill set – Staying the same may be easier to do for a week, a month, or maybe a year, but eventually your being the same will fall in comparison to those around you who kept current.
- Only working your niche – I am all about having a niche, a focused area within your business to give you the path to success. However, growth happens when you set yourself outside of your comfort level and approach what it is you do from a new angle.
- You are learning digitally – The web is a great resource, heck you are having one pumped into your ears as I speak. Action is the real learning… a YouTube video can only teach you so much.
- You say no – There are many gray areas in this business life… Should I try it because it is something different even though there is little or no pay? Maybe I should be assisting even when I feel confident in that skill already? Try saying yes every once in a while you never know who you could meet or what you could learn.
- Unwilling to risk – It is scary when we foresee risk within a situation and many people can’t see past that. Fear is only the negative outlook on excitement… you never know what may be worth the fear.
I am telling you these six points because I have already fallen victim to each of them time and time again. Years of failure have caught up with me and I know that the other end of the spectrum is the only reason to work as hard as I can. I have found often, both success and failure come with the same amount of work leading up to them. The ending is just a result of the work being put in. With today’s topic and keeping up on selling to your clients: “Focus on being interesting but more so focus on your potential clients being interested.” – A recent transition for me was my old web site last updated in 2013 vs my new web site updated in March of 2016. My skill set had changed and improved but my selling was based on an old ability. Hard to be paid properly when the clients think they are working with a past version of yourself.
Keep up everything, at least in small increments, to maintain increased interest over time.
Happy Shooting!
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Follow-Up
Photo World, it is time for one of those episodes where I break down one simple thought and blow it up to show you that this “one simple tool” can be the game changer for your photography business. It isn’t a big secret nor is it hard to find sufficient evidence backing up my shared opinion. I say “shared opinion” because there are many sales specialists who agree. Furthermore, many business experts and entrepreneurs have done studies on the subject or at the very least expressed weighted opinions in favor of the idea. So what is this big tag line I want to investigate?
Well before I get there I have a small quiz for you to take. There are no right or wrong answers but there should be a theme. Just take a minute and jot down your honest answer to these 7 questions.
- How many times a week do possible customers contact you? (Try for an average number)
- What is your first reaction to the customer reaching out? (What do you do first?)
- How fast do you respond to the potential customer?
- When do you consider them a customer? (Vs. an inquiry or possible customer)
- Do you do anything unique when first contact is made?
- Do you know where the customer found you?
- How many times do you follow up with your customer/business contacts? (Business contact could be a possible customer or a possible network colleague)
Like I said, there are no right or wrong answers here and everyone will have a slightly different response. However, I want to unveil the big secret and bring special attention to that last question… again, how many times do you follow up with your customer/business contacts? The point of highlighting question 7 was to get your head in the right frame of mind because: “The fortune is in the follow-up!” If you let a possible customer reach out to you and then you drop the ball on connecting with them, well I have news for you, their search continued and you are far behind. If you connect with them and find something meaningful to say, that could be a long list of examples, but let’s say “something” interesting; then the connection grows deeper. If you don’t think of them as a customer until money has changed hands, then you are going to have a tough time making any of it. If you can’t track where your customers are coming from, then your marketing is being done inefficiently and is a threat to your success. If you don’t follow up and follow up and follow up, then you have fallen down.
Here are few numbers I found really interesting!
- www.sendoutcards.com
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Earn While You Learn
Photo World, there are many occasions throughout a career where you feel a down slump in your business. You work hard and things are going well but for some reason you see the work thin out, the funds slow down, and your "style" just isn't making the cut any more...
Many photographers out there use this as their reason to get out of the biz. Especially those new photographers who couldn't get past it the first tie it happened to them. I can recall 2, maybe even 3, times when this happened for me and my business. However, as many photographers who fall apart from this issue there are many more who push past it. Education is a great way to re-invigorate your business or your "style" and put a fresh face on what you are already skilled at.
This episode speaks to this specific dilemma and hopefully reminds us to persevere. They key is openness to the future and looking ahead to see how you and your business will fit in. Making the money while adapting to the unstoppable changes that are always on the horizon. In short - how to Earn While You Learn.
Happy Shooting!
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Oversell 2
The topic is sales strategies. Not in their definition sense but their practical sense.
I see three main sales strategies: (1) Oversell, (2) Undersell, and (3) Even Sell. This episode I want to speak more about Oversell…
Photo World, I walked through some basic thoughts on overselling more than you need to for your clients. In some cases I have signals that work for me that let me feel comfortable trying to up-sell in certain areas of my services. True “Oversell” is to over promise and under deliver – that is the real definition of overselling. Where you say you can do something just to make the sale and then it turns out you can’t deliver on that. I knew I had to make this a 2 part episode because of how long a topic it was with the first portion but I should clear up that part 1 of this was oversell… when and where to up-sell your business. Rather, up-sell you to your clients. After all it doesn’t matter much what it is you’re selling… They are still buying into you.
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Oversell
Photo World, I see much as I continually learn about business, especially my own, and the businesses around me. So many things like: marketing strategies, sales techniques, skill techniques, social media strategies, etc. Well one area of my learning has been on my mind and I think it is more of a 3 part kind of topic so I will have two more episodes devoted to this topic. I have not planned when the other two will take place but over the next few weeks I think we will have all this info out there.
The topic is sales strategies. Not in their definition sense but their practical sense.
I see three main sales strategies: (1) Oversell, (2) Undersell, and (3) Even Sell. This episode I want to talk about Oversell… Now after recording this episode a slew of ideas and thoughts came rushing back into mind and my notepad filled up so I will tell you that Wednesday will be part two of this 1 sales strategies. Today I speak to the idea that overselling can be damaging toward your relationship with your clients and your longevity as a business. Again, Wednesday I will expand upon this episode because I went on much longer than I thought I should have and needed to split some ideas.
Happy Shooting!
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I feel we all know how to go after our passions and really push to get through to our goals but I see so many of us small business owners, photographers, and artists fearing the wrong turn or not knowing quite how to move forward in any one direction. We need to stay the course because you never know what that next door may be opening too. Like my national speaking for podcasting and photography... I had no idea how to move in that direction nor did I even know it was something I felt passionate about but once I saw an opportunity I took it and that experience blew me away. I can't help but feel driven to seek out more. Same thing with those first few weddings I photographed. It was like I found why photography was for me; even though I already had the passion and career was the direction, wedding photography was the destination. So on and so forth... I just love looking back on how I got where I am even though I didn't know where I was always headed. It's like driving at night... You can't see more than the 200 feet in front of you but somehow we can go a great distance just moving 200 feet at a time. Not to get too deep here but life works the same way. Just keep going Photo World!Happy Shooting!
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Act Your Wage
Photo World, Your income follows your personal development. That is a nice food for thought, especially if you have been overly stressed out. It's like: "thanks Rob now I have more to worry about." The great thing is we always have that small worry but we also have the power to change any time any where in life. I used to leave my part time job telling those I worked with "I'm going to go home and change my life." It would give them a chuckle but I can honestly say I no longer have a need for that part time job as my photography and teaching is what I get to do for a living. All the while many of them are still there at the same job. There is nothing wrong with that but we get stuck because many of us go Broke trying to look Rich when we should act our Wage. The real quote is: Don’t go Broke trying to look Rich act your Wage.
Take it a step further and learn through the bord game by Dave Ramsey called: Act Your Wage
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Listen Don't Speak
As a man I am all too familiar with the fact that women assume I do not know how to listen... okay not just women, my assistance always tell me I never listen. My parents have said I don't listen as well. There is no time like the present to change for the better. See, I thought I was doing fine listening, but hearing and listening are very different. I have found through my listen don't speak exercises I have booked more clients, turned out more work, gained more followers, and accomplished more work than I have in recent years where I couldn't listen. There are countless ways to speak on how helpful this can be for things like sales. Sitting with a possible client and listening before trying to push a sale.
Happy Shooting!
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Business Overdrive
This day and age our businesses really are a 24 hours a day - 7 days a week - 365 days a year job. We have little to no excuse as to why we can't get back to an email, return a phone call, or at the very least text someone. I know we all prefer different forms of communication but we are to connected for excuses. What does this have to do with our business? Well, our business is connected 24/7 to everyone and anyone who could be directly or indirectly a possible or current client. That means we have the pressure of our business weighing on our shoulders and looming over our every move. In short... We are working all the time. If you remember my Better Branded Business episode I went into how your business should be working for you and not you for your business. Especially during those times when you can't or shouldn't be working. Like while you are asleep or when you're on vacation. (Thank you "out of the office" automated email). So how do we combat this habit to be working all the time or 24/7? I go over it in this rather short episode... Short because I have too much work to do to be bothered by this other work. :)
Happy Shooting!
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NEVER SCOUT A LOCATION
To scout or not to scout a location for a photo shoot? That is a common question with 2 solid answer, one transitional option, and a few way to handle how you let your clients know your thought on the subject. You know Rob didn't hold back and he is fine telling you what he thinks as well as how he explains it to his clients.
"I find honesty is the best policy when it comes to your clients." Rob shares, "If you want clients than be a real person first with all the same positive and negative aspects. There is nothing worse than a sales pitch from someone telling you how amazing the whole experience is going to be and then you find out it was all sunshine and rainbows. There is comfort in real."
Rob Talking Here: Okay so that was fun to try with this post... act like someone important is really asking my opinion on the subject. The whole episode (like most) are my opinion. What I would like to hear is who disagrees with me. At this stage in my wedding photography career I say NEVER SCOUT A LOCATION! EVER! Just listen to find out why.
Happy Shooting!
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BBB (Better Branded Business)
We hear about branding your business all the time, but what about your web brand? The one that 80% of your possible clientele is seeing first. Rob talk’s first impressions when you’re not even there and how to offer a more friendly hand shake that gives your clients a comfortable feeling to want to do business with you. If you can find a way to get possible clients to see your skill and personality while you are busy sleeping than wouldn't that be a better way to go for gaining more business. Setting aside time to meet with every possible client is a tall order but those first impressions can be mad through a better branded business online.
Tradition is out the window!
Business cards, posting flyers, and going door to door. What are the 3 new ways to be in front of more potential clients and gain business without the old sales techniques?
- Network posts
- Progress posts
- Target marketing within a niche in a specified target group within a small narrowed market. (How do I say Niche Down as many times as possible)
Happy Shooting!
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Dixie Dixon - Nikon Ambassador
Dixie is a US Nikon Ambassador based out of Dallas Texas. To fill you in on how selective that group is… She is one of the sixteen original Nikon Ambassador for the US. She is a commercial, fashion, and editorial photographer who travels from Vancouver to Barcelona down to Miami and everywhere in between. She shoots for tv shows, commercial campaigns, editorial projects, and major brands such as: Nikon, Disney, Inside Edition, Profoto, and MAC Group just to name a few. Her works is seen in Rangefinder, PDN, Professional Photographers Magazine, Nikon World, and many more.
Full Bio:
Dixie Dixon is a Texas born and bred commercial fashion photographer. Just a few years out of college, this 20-something’s career is unfolding one adventure after another.
She was given her first Nikon Camera, the Nikon FG, at just 12 years old, which peaked her curiosity in the field and served as her sidekick in exploring the world. She would continually clock seven to ten hours in the darkroom without even realizing it. While in college she studied in London with a world-renowned fashion photographer and became deeply inspired by the beautiful illusion of fashion and commercial photography.
It has been said that her idealistic vision of the world is reflected into every single frame- full of life, beautiful energy, and most of all, Soul. Her passion has lead her to shoot internationally in places such as Cannes, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Ibiza, and Barcelona recently for various brands, tv shows, commercial campaigns and editorial projects. She is one of the sixteen original Nikon Ambassadors of the United States.
Sensuous and polished, her images create a dream world in which romance is always alive. Her fresh vision has attracted clients such as Nikon, Disney, Virgin, Advanced Beauty, Florsheim Shoes, Ultherapy, Woodland Worldwide, Inside Edition, Gaylord Hotels, Spencer Fine Jewelry, G-Technology, Profoto, Eprouvage, MAC Group, Magpul, Billy Jealousy, Nha Khanh, Pipers Perfumery, and Macadamia Professional to name a few. Her work has been published in publications such as Rangefinder, PDN, Professional Photographers Magazine, Dapper Magazine, Living Magazine, Beverly Drive Magazine, Nikon World and many more.
Dixie's PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS:
2007 Fujifilm Award
2008 Hy Sheanin Photographic Award
2012 Graphistudio Award
2014 Addy Award for Ogle School Commercial
Dixie's SPONSORS/PARTNERS:
Happy Shooting!
Recommended Resource: rggedu.com/
Blog: dixiedixonphotography.wordpress.com
Workshops: dixiedixon.com/forphotographers
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Sign up for one of the last few spots here!